The earliest known production of dairy products has been identified by archaeologists in the Yenişehir district of Bursa in northwestern Turkey.
Credit: DHA |
The archaeological excavations at the Yenişehir site began in 2009 with the contributions of Koç, Boğaziçi and Ege Universities and were completed under the Netherlands Institute in Turkey with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The digs at Barcın Mound have uncovered information about the earliest inhabitants of the Yenişehir Plain, the archaeological team said.
Rana Özbal, a researcher from Koç University Department of Archaeology and Art History who is working on the excavations, told Demirören News Agency (DHA) that the earliest production of dairy products has been scientifically proven at the ancient site.
Credit: DHA |
"In the Neolithic period, which was described as a revolution, the transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture, animal husbandry and settled life was adopted," Özbal said, noting that researchers believe this lifestyle shift began in the Fertile Crescent region in 9,000 B.C.
The new lifestyle – which was marked by pottery, settlements, domestic animals and farming of cereals – spread to Central Anatolia and later to the Marmara Region, where modern-day Bursa is located.
Credit: DHA |
"One of the reasons for the technological progress of pottery may be related to the emergence of milk as an important food source in this region," she said.
Özbal explained that in the 2000s, a method for detecting milk fat in the pores of pottery was developed in the United Kingdom. The method has been used by the Archaeometry Research Center of Boğaziçi University since 2007, with the support of TUBITAK Marmara Research Center.
Credit: DHA |
"When analyzed in regional context, both national and international organic residue analysis results indicate that it is the earliest detected region in the world for milk use. Therefore, it is not wrong to say that Barcın Mound settlement and Yenişehir Plain played a leading role in milk production. Our findings prove that milk was consumed by processing 8,600 years ago."
Özbal noted the other discoveries at the mound that have identified its Neolithic inhabitants.
Credit: DHA |
Dead bodies were buried in the ground in the fetal position, she noted.
A nutritional economy based on agriculture and animal husbandry is another important indicator of the Neolithic lifestyle, Özbal said, noting that many domesticated seeds such as wheat, barley and lentils, as well as the bones of domesticated cattle, goats and sheep have been unearthed at Barcın Mound.
Credit: DHA |
"We found sharpeners used to sharpen bones to produce tools, stone axes and materials used to polish skin and this points to the probability that the community was also involved in leather manufacturing," she said.
"In addition, a large part of the daily life of the inhabitants, as understood from the tandoor and ovens, was dedicated to cooking," she added.
Credit: DHA |
Source: Daily Sabah [August 21, 2019]
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